Undefeated Unionville girls volleyball squad aces Great Valley

East Marlborough >> The Unionville High School girls volleyball squad, which has lost only four sets this fall, continued its unbeaten pace with a 3-0 win against Great Valley on Tuesday, posting scores of 25-18, 25-15 and 25-16.
As they have all season, the Longhorns (16-0) defeated the visiting Patriots with a balanced, deep lineup, starting with 2021 PVCA All-State selection Maddy Lowe. Against Great Valley, Lowe, junior middle Brianna Miller and junior Vivian Geiger combined for 30 kills.

“I believe we are a very balanced team,” said Unionville head coach Stephanie Smith. “We do a nice job of mixing up our offense, which makes it challenging for opponents to shut down. The team plays well together, has fun, and is competitive at the same time,”
Earlier this season, after a 3-0 win against Avon Grove, Smith noted, “We have strong hitters – outside, middle, right side – and our defense is very strong. Sometimes that can be tough to go up against, when you can run anything.”
The Longhorns (16-0), ranked No. 1 in the PIAA District 1 4A power rankings, have lost only four sets this fall – two to Garnet Valley (ranked No. 3), and one each to Downingtown West and Sun Valley.

Great Valley head coach Katie Rickabaugh said, “I think Unionville serves really well, and they can run a quicker offense, so sometimes our blockers weren’t there [tonight] and there were gaps in the block, and then it was hard for our back row players to get the balls up.”
In the first set, Great Valley hung tough, trailing only by two points (16-14), when the Longhorns closed out the set on a 9-4 run, led by some strong hitting from Geiger and Lowe (who also served four aces Tuesday).
“Maddy has been a starting outside for us since her freshman year; she is a big reason the team has been competitive the past few years,” said Smith. “She is a great captain, can rally the team, and comes up with big points when the game is close.”

In the second set, Unionville went on a 6-0 run to take a 13-6 lead, then gradually pulled away with some strong play by Miller, who had a dozen kills.
“Brianna does a great job of mixing up her shots, she can find the court well and makes good decisions,” said Smith.
Another key factor was the setting of junior Olivia Harper (22 assists) and senior Delaney McCoy (10 assists), who will be playing volleyball for Susquehanna University next fall.
Defensively, the Longhorns were led once again by junior libero Ava Van Deusen.
“Ava is all over the court; she is able to pass balls that would normally hit the ground,” said Smith. “Her ability to read plays and serve aggressively are a big part of the team’s success so far this season.”
In the third set, the Longhorns broke up a 6-6 tie with a 7-0 run, and down the stretch relied on some fine play up front by senior captain Jillian Murphy (3 kills) and Geiger, who had 10 kills.

“Vivian can just put the ball away,” said Smith of Geiger, who is in her first year of playing middle.
Throughout the three sets, and particularly early in each set, the Patriots battled the hosts closely, led by senior outside hitters Solenne Johnson and Finley Gorman.
“Solenne’s been a big factor on our team for the last four years,” said Rickabaugh. “She can hit outside and she can hit out of the middle. Today was a little difficult to get her in system because it was hard for us tonight to get serves up to pass. Unionville did a really nice job, a tough job, serving.
“Finley was switched to the outside halfway through this season. She can put the ball down a lot when we’re in system. She also blocks really well, and had a great game serving today.”
Johnson and Gorman are two of the seven seniors on the Great Valley squad.

Great Valley (8-9, ranked No. 26 in the 4A rankings) is on the cusp of qualifying for the district tournament, which starts Oct. 25 – the top 24 teams are taken. The Patriots have two regular-season games remaining – they host Downingtown East on Thursday, then will travel to Avon Grove on Friday.
“We’re hoping we can beat one or two of them, and hopefully work our way [into Districts],” said Rickabaugh. “Unionville has the top ranking, so I was happy that our kids put some effort in there tonight (smiles).”